Another successful Harbour Street Jazz and Blues Festival has come to a close with music makers and music lovers alike packing Ōamaru venues, filling the street, and soaking up the atmosphere at the weekend.The weather played the perfect supporting role for the multi-gig event, which included almost 70 performances in and around town, from Friday evening until the grand finale on Sunday night.Festival co-ordinator Jacob Barwick said the weekend was amazing. "Venues throughout Ōamaru were standing room only. Harbour Street had a vibe all of its own, with people roaming town and listening to all the musicians," he said."The highlight for many was the spontaneous performances by The Traveling Blueberries, which packed Harbour Street."Alice Hore - part of the mobile musical madness that was The Traveling Blueberries, as well as starring in her usual gigs as lead singer of The Saggy Britches Band - also captured some photos on her travels, which she has kindly shared with the Waitaki App.Waitaki District Councillor and photographer extraordinaire Rebecca Ryan has also generously shared some photos.A huge thank you to them both, it takes a village!Harbour Street thronged with people, making the most of the music and the sunshine. Photo: Rebecca RyanThe Timaru Dixieland Jazz Band playing at the Harbour Street Collective Cafe. Photo: Alice HoreThe Merc 6 in form at festival headquarters in the Grainstore. Photo: Alice Hore.Craig Conlan of Ōamaru band Hot Mess. Photo: Alice Hore Ōamaru's resident Brazilian band Iara takes to the Ruby Marris Trust stage. Photo: Alice HoreThe Traveling Blueberries bring music to Ōamaru's main street. Photo: Rebecca RyanOne-man band Jed Jeffries outside the Steampunk HQ. Photo: Alice HoreVisitors to Ōamaru take a seat, while they soak up some tunes. Photo: Alice HoreThe Curio Club with their offering at the Grainstore. Photo: Rebecca RyanThe Traveling Blueberries on the road again. Photo: Rebecca RyanTrumpeting to the masses. Photo: Rebecca Ryan

Moves to revitalise Ōamaru’s CBD are about “community and council working together to design and deliver the future”, Waitaki District Council business attraction manager Mel Jones says.The second meeting of the central business district revitalisation workshop was held at the Ōamaru Opera House earlier this month, with 35 representatives from local businesses and organisations working together with the council to come up with a plan through “strategic doing”.The purpose of strategic doing is to find solutions to complex challenges and carry them out through collaboration and networking. At the last workshop five projects were identified to move forward on.Numat graphic design director Kelvin Cunningham, who has been in the workshops, thinks the strategic doing approach is “a great way to embrace the process of public and community networks and engagement, with the action needed to move faster toward achieving a desired outcome”.“All projects are a win in the face of the necessity to revitalise the CBD,” he says.The projects all address a way to develop spaces and activities that will encourage interaction and interest in the town.“These projects highlight and showcase our unique history, beauty and stories that would be otherwise unknown to some and the visitors to come. More engagement, more people, more business.”Having a variety of voices in one room for the workshops is a great start to bettering the CBD, he says.“We hope this will further encourage community engagement to continue to develop and build upon the momentum to make this town such an interesting place to go and spend time.Mel says revitalising the CBD to ensure it is a thriving centre of the Waitaki that is attractive for residents, visitors and businesses, is something the council is committed to.“The approach we are taking is to engage a selection of businesses and other organisations in co-designing what changes we make.”BuggyRobot creator Martin Horspool said being part of the process is “very exciting”.“It’s great to see what other people's ideas are. It’s great to see the focus on the historical and some of the unloved and underappreciated areas of the CBD.”Ōamaru Whitestone Civic Trust trustee David Wilson says the plan has great potential. “This is such a fantastic town to work with, and the ideas that have come out are going to build on and enhance a lot of the activity that’s been going on for a number of years.”Project teams are now working on refining their plans ahead of presenting them to the public.

MetService is forecasting a series of fronts which will make their way over the country this week, bringing strong northwesterly winds and periods of rain, particularly for the South Island. On Thursday, a cold southwesterly flow takes over, and while it brings some clearer skies over the South Island, it also leads to lower temperatures.Overnight from tonight (Tuesday) into Wednesday a low-pressure system passes just to the south of the South Island, bringing another cold front onto the lower South Island,  MetService meteorologist Juliane Bergdolt says.“We see a repeating pattern on Wednesday as another front moves northwards up the country, reaching Christchurch around midday. “Much like Monday’s front, it is preceded by strengthening northwesterlies and potentially heavy rain. Severe Weather Watches may be issued . . .  in the coming days. However, this front is followed by strong and cold southwesterly winds, bringing a distinct dip in the temperatures just ahead of the long weekend,” she said.A strong wind watch has been issued for the Canterbury High Country for the six hours from 3am-9am tomorrow (Wednesday), with the possibility of Northwest winds approaching severe gale in exposed places.There is also a strong wind watch in place for Clutha and Dunedin, with the possibility of a west to southwest wind approaching severe gale in exposed places in the five hours from 5am-10am tomorrow.Looking ahead, the Easter forecast still has some uncertainties, with a low-pressure system to the northeast of the North Island that may have a part to play.The driest weather will be in the South Island, with Central Otago, inland Canterbury, and the West Coast most likely to see the sun. However, there will be a chill in the air so wrap up warm for any early morning Easter egg hunts.

As we head into back to back long weekends, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is encouraging people to allow extra time on the roads.Otago Anniversary Day kicks off the shortened working week on Monday, with Good Friday at the tail end, leading into Easter.A number of Waitakians will be taking advantage of the chance to link two long weekends together to maximise holiday time, with Warbirds over Wānaka a likely drawcard, being held again for the first time in six years. The international airshow attracted 54,000 people in 2018 for its 30th anniversary, and the same number or more are expected this year after the Covid-induced hiatus. What this means for drivers is people will be travelling to the Queenstown Lakes District town from all over the South Island/Te Wai Pounamu.NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Otago/Southland journey manager Nicole Felts encourages everyone to check their routes in advance. Some key times are likely to be much busier than others, based on previous years’ traffic counts.Travellers should add extra time to their travel plans, so they can remove angst and enjoy the drive, she said. “Coffee, snacks and toilet breaks will help you refresh and arrive relaxed. Share the driving if you can.” She also urges people to check their vehicles are warranted and registered and to plan for things like a flat tyre or bad weather, by checking the spare tyre and jack, the windscreen-wipers and carrying spare blankets and torches. “Follow the speed limits and drive to the conditions. If the weather is stormy, slow down and watch your following distances. “If you are towing a trailer or caravan, check behind you and be prepared to pull over at a safe spot to let others pass from time to time.”Keep up to date with traffic updates through Facebook, Twitter (X), Journey planner or by phoning 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).

A proposed average rates rise of 13.73% will be discussed as part of the 2024-25 draft annual plan, at next week’s Waitaki District Council meeting.Earlier this month, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher and councillors approved having a 2024-2025 year Annual Plan, followed by a nine-year 2025-2034 Long Term Plan, rather than the usual ten years.This option was offered to council by the Government to avoid it having to make a significant amendment to the Long Term Plan next year, following the Water Reform Repeal Bill which was passed in February.The delay gives the council time to assess the Government's direction on what needs to happen with the district’s water assets and also allows for more certainty on what Waka Kotahi/New Zealand Transport Agency funding will be for the next few years.Water and roading are the two biggest costs for the council. The engagement document being discussed will provide the Waitaki with information about the future funding needs of the district, and present options on water, roading and other services for 2024-2025 and beyond.It acknowledges council income streams are not increasing fast enough to cover the rising costs of Waitaki’s growing infrastructure needs, a media statement from the council said.Work has been done stripping back some proposals, revising budgets and looking at what can be done later, or differently, to reduce the proposed average rates increase for the 2024-25 financial year.Initially when the budget for the 2024-2025 financial year was under scrutiny, the average rate rise for Waitaki properties sat at around 26%.This rise will vary according to property location and value.There are no easy options ahead if the council is to deliver what is needed for the district and communities in a way that is affordable for ratepayers, Gary said.“While we have worked hard to reduce the rating rise for this year, we want to discuss the implications of how we do that. There are still some tough choices ahead and it is important that our community has the opportunity to have their say.”Council chief executive Alex Parmley said the council was already well along the “transformation pathway”. “Which has always been about getting value for money for the ratepayer and living within our means. This puts us in a good position to plan ahead for the next year, and the next ten years.”Community feedback on the Annual Plan opens next Thursday (March 28) and runs through until Tuesday, April 30.The engagement document, supporting information and feedback form will be available online on Council’s ‘Let’s Talk’ engagement hub, with print copies available at the council office on Thames Street and Waitaki District Libraries.A series of Q&A sessions on Facebook Live and community meetings are being held around the district next month.

Emergency services are attending the scene of a serious crash on Shines Road, Waitaki.The single-vehicle crash was reported to Police around 9am.Initial reports indicated that there are serious injuries.Police advise motorists to avoid the Shines Road area.More information will be provided when available.

With most of the hard work done, Harbour Street Jazz and Blues Festival co-ordinator Jacob Barwick is looking forward to sitting back and soaking up some music.The Otago Anniversary Weekend festival opens this Friday night, and draws to a close with the grand finale on Sunday.While the music is mostly centred around Ōamaru’s Harbour St, which will be jam-packed with artists both inside and out, venues from Weston’s Rockvale Gardens to Ōamaru’s Northstar in the north end are all joining in the party.“It really is just a big outdoor festival . . . It is a good wander-y festival,” Jacob says.The 30+ acts are free, except for the Grand Finale Fundraiser Dinner on Sunday night, being held at the Loan and Merc building. Tickets are $95, include dinner, and are available from Rose’s General Store and the Festival Headquarters.Irish-born Dunedin-based musician Stevie Rice, and 13-piece band Otepoti All Stars will feature on the final night, and funds raised help to ensure the ongoing success of the festival.Festival Headquarters is in the Grainstore, on Harbour St, and has a licensed bar, and merchandise for sale.It is never a problem finding musicians to play at the festival, and they are all paid for their time and talent, Jacob says.There is a mixture of acts from all over the Waitaki, and those who travel to play here - many returning from previous years.“We have more people wanting to play than we’ve got venues,” he says.“We've got Paul Ubana Jones, who's coming back, so he should be worth a watch. And the Curio Club, I am curious about them.”The event has major benefits for Ōamaru, especially food and beverage businesses.“It has a big impact, because it probably is the biggest weekend of the year in terms of people coming to town and going out, because we put so many bands into all the venues, the flow on is that they are full,” Jacob says.“And because it's a free event people have more money to spend.”The event is also a bit of a financial buffer for the businesses, coming into the slower winter months.“They'll all be full. Criterion will be full, Scotts will be full, you just know it's going to be full . . . they all sign up year after year without question,” he says.Jacob encourages the Waitaki community to come out in support of the event. “I want them to turn up, because we put it on for them.” Accommodation is in short supply, and Jacob has people messaging him asking where they can stay.“I tell them ‘you should have booked last year’, because a lot of people just roll with the accommodation year on year.”As well as performers to watch, there are various musical workshops to take part in for a koha. Most are being held at The Penguin Club, and dance workshops at the Scottish Hall.Programmes with all the necessary information on acts and workshops will be available for a $2 donation at most of the venues in town, and the information will also be available on the Waitaki App before the festival begins.There will be music in every nook and cranny around Ōamaru's Harbour Street, and further afield. Photo: Facebook

Young people with big ideas for youth in the Waitaki are encouraged to apply for financial help, with applications for the Rangatahi-Led Fund closing on Sunday.The Otago Community Trust provides grants for youth-led projects that benefit young people, in the Waitaki, South Otago, Central Otago and Ōtepoti Dunedin, as part of its $10 million Tamariki and Rangatahi Strategy.Rangatahi leaders from each region are at the helm of the fund, steering its purpose and criteria. They will collaborate with the Otago Community Trust on the final funding outcomes for grants of up to $5,000 to support innovative youth-led initiatives administered by eligible organisations.Alex Anderson from Balclutha said he appreciated the opportunity to be a part of something he knows is helping other young people, because he can see the effects.“Having something where rangatahi can go and actually run a whole project or event themselves and have that independence is just so so cool.”Full details and how rangatahi can get involved are available on the Otago Community Trust website.Leading the fund in the Waitaki are Blayde Forbes, Sophia Sam, Siara Sam, Ellen McAtamney and Sophie Notman.The intentions behind the fund is to make the Waitaki a more fulfilling place for youth to live and get them excited about living in the district. It encourages active participation in the community, and aims to bring people together and provide equal opportunities.People of all cultures, abilities and ethnicities under-25 can apply online, for a maximum of $5000 per project.For more help, people can email [email protected] or chat to one of the roopu (group) members on 0800 10 12 40.The fund does not cover scholarships or sponsorships, retrospective costs, and political parties or groups aligned with political parties.

The weather has begun to feel more autumnal, with a noticeable chill felt in the early hours of the day. As we approach the autumn equinox this week, MetService is forecasting southerly winds and cooler mornings.The week starts with a southerly flow over Aotearoa New Zealand, bringing showery weather, cloudy periods, and brisk southerly winds to the southern and eastern areas of both the North and South Islands today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday). While the remainder of the country will see some sunnier weather, they won’t escape the chill, MetService meteorologist Clare O'Connor says.“A cloudier sky overnight is much like having a duvet on your bed – clouds overnight provide an insulating layer which keeps the heat from the day from radiating away. “Cloudless nights are often when the coldest temperatures are recorded, and frosts can occur.”The autumn equinox occurs on Wednesday (March 20) this year, marking the shift to longer periods of darkness as sunrises get later and sunsets earlier.Wednesday is also expected to be the most settled day for weather this week, with widespread blue skies and sunshine.Later in the week, a low-pressure system from the Tasman Sea brings rain to western areas of the South Island on Thursday, reaching the North Island on Friday before quickly moving on.

Another successful employee/employer pairing is off and racing thanks to the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs.Ōamaru woman Jayda Loper, was placed in employment at Brad Williamson Racing through the scheme, and she loves it.“It’s definitely a different kind of job and vibe, but I’ve learned a lot. “I wouldn’t have imagined myself working here, and didn’t think I’d come back to horses, but I used to ride when I was younger. “I love the people here, they’re supportive and nice, and I even get to have a drive which is great fun.”Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher and members of the Mayor’s Taskforce For Jobs (MTFJ) visited Brad Williamson Racing last week, to see Jayda and her employer Brad.Brad is one of Waitaki Sports Hall of Fame inductee Phil Williamson’s three sons. The two, together with Phil’s other two sons, Matthew and Nathan, have driven more than 3000 winners in harness racing, and train horses at their North Otago stables.During his visit, the mayor was taken on a run around the track on a sulky, led by Greta, one of the Williamson’s winning horses.“The Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs is about getting great outcomes for young people and employers in our district,” Gary said.“Brad and the Williamsons are just one of the wide range of different employers in Waitaki, and being able to work with them, and find the right person for the job, demonstrates that when local communities are given responsibility and funding, they can find better local solutions to local problems.”This visit is the second of three the mayor is carrying out, to help spread the word of the scheme’s success in the district. Last month he visited Network Waitaki, and hopes to visit one more employer in the coming weeks.Each year the MTFJ has exceeded its targets of placing young people in apprenticeships and employment across the district. Funded by the Ministry of Social Development, it is hoped the scheme will continue to help find local solutions to employ local young people in local businesses.Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher, horse trainer Brad Williamson, and employee Jayda Loper. Photo: supplied

It is hoped questions will flood in, for the first in a series of online council-run Q&A sessions around planning for the future, which focuses on water.In preparation for the 2024-25 Annual Plan, and looking ahead to the 2025-34 Long Term Plan, the Waitaki District Council is hosting a series of Q&A webinars over the next seven weeks.The first will be held via Facebook Live tomorrow (Tuesday, March 19) at 7pm and cover the three water networks owned and maintained by the council - drinking, waste and storm waters - and the future cost to upgrade them all.A short explainer video about this, and subsequent issues will be on the council Facebook page prior to each session, and community members can ask questions in the comments section, or submit them during the webinar.Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher says this is not a normal annual plan, due to the challenges of increased costs and rates affordability for the community.“We are not alone when it comes to the challenges facing our district by the significantly higher standards for water services - many councils are working hard to find ways to do the required work and keep rates affordable.“This Q&A is a chance for the community to find out more about their water network. We’re looking forward to talking about roads, affordability and service levels in the coming weeks.”Along with the explainer videos, the council will also be setting the record straight around any misconceptions to with the different topics each week.There will also be a series of community conversations in Palmerston, Ōamaru, Duntroon and Omarama in April once consultation opens for the Annual Plan.

Talking to Ōamaru woman Kirsten Dixon, you can’t help but be struck by her vibrancy. You can tell she is a woman who loves life. (8-minute read)She is also a woman who has multiple sclerosis (MS). Kirsten was diagnosed almost exactly three years ago, at age 42, but she probably had the neurological disorder for about 20 years before she knew what it was. Something she says is not uncommon.“So you sort of might have little sensory indications, neuropathic pain, because the form of MS that I have, which is relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, is episodic, so you can have an episode.”MS happens when your immune system attacks the myelin (protective coating) of your central nervous system, and that can be anywhere in the brain, spinal cord, or optic nerve.These attacks or relapses cause inflammation and lesions on the nerve fibres, and scarring occurs as they heal. With progressive MS - deterioration is much faster.“Multiple sclerosis actually means many scars, that's what it translates to, which makes a lot more sense as to what it is. So people with MS have many scars in the central nervous system. “And what that means is that it can become increasingly difficult for your brain to send messages to different parts of your body, depending how significant those lesions are, and how many there are. So, MS can look very different for every person with it, I guess, depending on where, and how severely, and how good your brain is at creating new neural pathways.”Kirsten was finally diagnosed after she lost sensation from her hips down during a major relapse in March 2021.“A lot of the time, [I was] just completely numb. Sometimes something similar to pins and needles, but constant over a number of days. However, it didn't affect my function. So I could walk, I could drive my car - I just couldn't actually feel my legs or my feet.“At first it was kind of amusing and I thought I'd, like, pinched a wee nerve . . . so I spoke with a good friend of mine who's also an osteopath, and when I rang her, she said, ‘no, you need to go see your GP’.”It was decided Kirsten needed an operation, and at the hospital she was sent for a “quick” pre-surgery MRI so the orthopaedic surgeon could see exactly what was going on and where it needed to be fixed. “I spent three hours in that MRI . . . So they kept calling over the speaker to say, we're just going to do the rest of your spine now, and now we're going to do your brain.”Kirsten knew then, the radiologist had found something different from what they had been looking for, and that they were now looking for something else.“I just chose at that time to think, ‘well, I'm actually in the best place I can be’. I was really scared, but what can you do?”The next day she was told she had multiple sclerosis, but at that stage she didn’t really know what that meant.Kirsten’s then lack of knowledge, is why she is eager to share openly about her condition now. MS is relatively common in New Zealand - an estimated one in a thousand people have it. It is more prevalent in Caucasian people, and also in colder climates. There are more people with MS in the South Island than the North.“That's a really high number of people. And it strikes people in their prime, between ages of 20 and 40 predominantly, and mostly women, not limited to women, but on the whole, the majority are women,” she says.For many with MS, the condition is “invisible”.“We're living with a disability that other people cannot necessarily support us with, unless we learn to speak up and say what our needs are. And we're kind of conditioned to not do that - I'm still learning.”Kirsten completed a two-night solo hike at Mt Somers in November last year. Determined to make the most of her mobility while she still has it, this weekend Kirsten is planning to walk the Old Ghost Road on the West Coast, an 85km track from Lyell Gorge to Seddonville. She will complete the walk with her good friend Kim Burgher, who also lives in Ōamaru.It is a five-day, four-night hike, and she has been supported in her preparation by Mastering Mountains - a charitable trust set up to support people with neurological conditions - particularly MS and functional neurological disorder (FND) - and help them with outdoor adventures.Mastering Mountains was created in 2015, by Christchurch man Nick Allen, an avid lover of the outdoors, and himself a sufferer of FND.It offers funding for mentoring and physical rehabilitation to give people the tools, strategies and gear they need to overcome obstacles their condition might create, and enable them to sustain long-term access to the outdoors.Kirsten is one of three recipients of a 2023 expedition grant. The group meet regularly to support and encourage each other towards their goals, and their stories are all up on the Mastering Mountains website. “For some people some goals have needed to change as well, so we just journey that with people as new information comes to light,” she says.Kirsten’s spirituality is important to her, and as a way to stay positive with her MS, she had been considering a Camino de Santiago walk - a type of spiritual pilgrimage. However, she requires monthly IV infusions of an immunosuppressant medication in Dunedin to help keep her MS in remission, so a trip to the other side of the world is not an option.“So, when I read about the Mastering Mountains grant, I was really challenged to see how I thought I could curate a pilgrimage that is available to me.“Instead of feeling sorry for myself that I can't go and do what thousands of pilgrims do every year, I said, ‘well, what would it look like to create one for me that I can do?’ And I stumbled across the Old Ghost Road.”The Old Ghost Road is a long-forgotten gold miners’ road which, over a number of years, has been revived as a mountain biking and tramping trail. It connects the unfinished old dray road in the Lyell (Upper Buller Gorge) to the Mokihinui River in the north.She discovered the story behind the trail’s construction, and the years of effort, driven by a man named Marion Boatwright, that had gone into completing it.“They ended up taking these deviations and creating these other ways and finding these solutions, and as I read about that, I actually felt really connected to it, because I was like, ‘oh, that's what my central nervous system's doing’.“It's like there's this map, but actually there's like these landfalls here and there's these reasons we can't get here, and my body, my brain, is so clever, that it's creating new ways to create that path.“So my goal is, as I walk that - because there's these massive viaducts and swing bridges and windy steps and all these things that are beautiful, and they've built them, and I'm like, ‘wow, that's a little bit like my insides, you know?’, like, I don't have to see this as something awful. My body is doing the very best that it can, to keep me mobile and walking - and so I'm going to go walk, while I can, for as long as I can.”Kirsten has required more training than she initially thought, and Mastering Mountains has fully funded personal trainer and nutritionist Mel Smith and exercise physiologist Stacey Pine, who both work out of Ōamaru’s The Movement Hub, to help her.“Man, they are experts in their field, and I'm so grateful and in awe of the amount of research that they've done into neurological health for me,” she says about the two women.“It's all evidence-based research, which is super important to me.” She has been working with Mel and Stacey for nine months, and at the same time is receiving mentoring and coaching from Nick Allen personally, around preparation and decision making when living with neurological disease.“Because we can experience cognitive decline quite quickly sometimes. So that's been super helpful and really motivating.”Kirsten completed a solo hike into Mount Somers in November last year for two nights, to learn self-reliance and to reassure herself of her capabilities.Adventuring with friends.“I've walked with so many different people, people I know, people I don't know, and we've had so many different adventures . . . it's created a bit of a community and other people have then gone on and done other walks . . . Which is part of the contagious nature of being outdoors that I think Nick and the Mastering Mountains Trust really hope for.”Living with MS can look different for every person who has it, depending on where the lesions form.Kirsten is grateful none of the lesions have affected her brain so far, although she still occasionally experiences brain fog, similar to what people have experienced post-Covid, she says. She has an MRI every six months to keep an eye out for possible new ones.She isn’t angry it took so long for her to get a diagnosis. While she had a long history of neuropathic pain, with sensory changes and cognitive decline, those symptoms can indicate a number of things, she says.“So the diagnostics of it is challenging until it's, I guess, until it's obvious.“It gave me a lot of relief though, because I presented in hospital numerous times over 20 years, and with no clear answer: ‘Yes, we think there's something not right, but now it seems much better’, and that was unsettling for me.“And so to actually have a name for it was relieving, though I also would rather not have MS.”It’s hard to know if being diagnosed sooner would have had any benefits. Disease modifying therapies are improving all the time, and the medication she is on at the moment would not have been available 20 years ago.What ifs are also no help to Kirsten mentally, although she remembers the frustrations when she was having an episode, and she would wonder if there was something wrong with her psychologically.“I think the emotional and psychological toll of that was quite hard for me, and also I think that again is not uncommon, and it's just something that we need to live with.“I really believe that every specialist who has worked with me has had the intent to do their very best.” She is also aware, if she had been diagnosed earlier, her family might look quite different.“I have three children, and actually, if I had been diagnosed when I was younger, pregnancy is a risk factor for a relapse.“My neurologist is amazing at empowering us to make our own decisions, but with a lot of information around that . . . it may really have brought about some very different decisions, and my kids are perfect, and they’re meant to be here.“I know some younger women who are making decisions about what [MS] means for the size of their family.” Kirsten describes her children - Alex, 14, Josh, 13, and Louisa, 11 - as “amazing, resilient, gorgeous, young people”.The Dixon whānau (from left) Trent, Alex (14), Kirsten, Josh (13), and Louisa (11). Photo: supplied“I don't think I can ever really know how finding out their mum has a chronic illness has or will impact them. I'd like to think that it inspires them, but I'm sure at times it's very hard for them too.”Every time Kirsten has a relapse, even after it goes into remission, it leaves residual damage. She is always trying to stay well to avoid them. There are lifestyle recommendations to follow, but she can be doing everything right, and they will still happen.She is particularly affected by cold weather, which brings on symptoms - and also times of high stress and change.“And then sometimes, just because.“I still experience neuropathic pain in my right leg when I'm fatigued or particularly tired or cold.“I'll experience something that we call foot drop, so a lack of control over my foot, or I'll start to maybe scuff my foot. I have a very interesting twitch in my shoulder that sometimes flares up.”Kirsten “quite likes to fix things” and so her MS diagnosis is one she struggles to get her head around.“There is no cure, and despite my best efforts, it is likely to progress in my body.”She is still coming to a level of acceptance about that, knowing at some stage down the track she will probably need mobility aids or to use a catheter, and potentially have to give up her career in dispute resolution and communications coaching - a job she loves.“It's been a very interesting parallel journey for me to look at really . . . I support people to live the best life that's available to them, and now I have professionals who help me do that in a very different way with a very different skill set.“It feels sort of, it's not directly reciprocal, but there's something that helps me recognise my place in the world in that, and how we are really all inter-related and that inter-reliance is very, very important. You can't do it all by yourself.”Kirsten is excited about beginning her walk on Sunday. The weather is looking “perfectly overcast”, and what will be, will be, she says.“I know that I will find some challenges and some hard things along the way, and I know that they'll be different to what I think they're going to be, and this is the story of life. “It's like a wee microcosm of life, and that's what pilgrimage means to me, to go out on a journey, be prepared to encounter something, and to overcome it.”After the Old Ghost Road, she wants to continue adventuring as long as she can, and find new challenges and ways to keep active, as her MS progresses.Kirsten sees her diagnosis as “information about what might not be available to me in my future”.“So, instead of saying, ‘oh, one day I'd quite like to go tramping’, or ‘in the future I think I would like to . . .’ I'm just pulling them forward and going, ‘well, if I'm serious that I want to do them, then I need to do them a bit sooner’.“These things might be available to me for a very long time, and I hope that they are, but I'm also aware that if I, you know, eventually do need mobility aids or support in other ways, there is still a full life available to me, just not some aspects of life.“So yeah, it's probably made me realise too to focus on what I can do and not what I can't.”For more information on multiple sclerosis or to donate, visit the website here.To find out more about Mastering Mountains or to donate visit the website here

Ramadan is a Muslim religious holiday many of us have heard of, but perhaps don’t really understand.Ramadan in New Zealand begins today, following notification from the Federation of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand Hilal Committee, but in other parts of the world it started yesterday, or even the day before.It is held on the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, every year, and lasts for 29-30 days. The beginning and end is signified by the appearance of a crescent moon.During Ramadan, all Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset, abstaining from food, drink, and smoking and marital relations in daylight hours. They wake up before the sunrise to eat, so they have energy to get through the day, and then eat again once the sun goes down.The lunar calendar is 354 days long, 11 days shorter than the regular Gregorian calendar, which means Ramadan falls slightly earlier each year.When it falls in winter, it is much easier to fast than in summer when the days can be quite long and hot. Occasionally there will be two Ramadans in one year.Hani Mohd, a Malaysian-born Muslim who moved to Ōamaru almost eight years ago, says she is yet to experience Ramadan in the height of summer.She explains what the occasion signifies for her and her family, and about 17 other Muslim families from countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, and Egypt, as well as Malaysia, who live in the area.The reason behind the fasting is to feel empathy for those who are poor and starving.“And fasting is not (just) about eating. It's about your need to control your emotion, like your temper . . . like a form of self control,” she said.It is also a time for prayer and self-reflection, self-purification, and to focus on self-development.“So, it's about your manner, too. You need to be a good person, not to have a bad temper, and you do good things for you and for other people.”It is compulsory to fast once a person has hit puberty, unless they have a medical reason, are elderly, work in a physical job, or are travelling, Hani said.Those who are exempt from fasting compensate by paying the equivalent of one meal to feed one person for a day.Hani doesn’t find fasting too difficult, it is something she has trained for, and is used to.“You need to be training to be fasting, like, even the kids, when they are at the age of puberty, you're not directly fasting. So when you know next month will be fasting, you can maybe try not to be eating for the half day, or maybe you're not eating but you're still drinking,” she said.After the month of fasting for Ramadan, a celebration is held called Eid al-Fitr, which involves a lot of food.“Some countries celebrate only three days, some other countries, like, the whole month. But even the whole month, you are still working on the weekdays, but over the weekend, you celebrate.”A greeting or “wish” you might offer a person celebrating Ramadan is “Ramadan Mubarak”, or when they are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, then you would say “Eid Mubarak”. The Christian equivalent would be wishing somebody a Merry Christmas or Happy Easter.Hani said while people are mostly kind to her and her family here, not many know or understand about Ramadan, and what it involves.She and her husband, who is also Muslim but grew up in New Zealand, have two young sons, aged three and five. While they are not old enough to fast yet, she knows it will be hard for her to help them train when the time comes, because of the school environment, where nobody else will be fasting.During Ramadan, Muslims also pray a Tarawih at a mosque every night, or in Hani’s case, the Islamic Centre, in Trent Street.The Tarawih is a voluntary prayer, performed during the fasting month after Isha, the last evening prayer.“Other than prayer, you need to study and learn about Islamic knowledge. So, make lots of du'as, recite and learn about the Qur'an, and also you give to charity and help the poor."Hani Mohd with her husband PJ Ani and sons Eidyn (5) and Isaac (3). Photo: Supplied

One resident remains out of their home, as firefighters continue work on extinguishing a fire at Nenthorne, between Middlemarch and Palmerston, in the Waitaki.Three households self-evacuated after the fire took hold overnight on Sunday (March 10), and also spent last night in alternative accommodation.Today (Tuesday, March 12) 10 fire crews (35 firefighters), supported by a digger, continue to work on extinguishing the vegetation fire, which spanned 78 hectares.Two crews monitored the fire ground overnight last night and put out hot spots.No homes were lost in the fire, but a small number of farm buildings were destroyed or damaged and crews are overhauling burnt buildings and felling dangerous trees nearby, Fire and Emergency New Zealand incident controller Bobby Lamont said in a lunchtime update.There are deep underground fires yet to be extinguished underneath several large stands of trees."Most residents in the area who self-evacuated on the night of the fire (10 March) have been allowed home," he said."One resident is still unable to return home but we’re hoping they should be able to later today."Bobby Lamont says Nenthorne, Ramrock, and Butter and Egg roads remain closed, although it is expected they will be able to open later today.Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) has handed over the fireground at the second fire in Earthquakes near Duntroon to Department of Conservation fire crews to monitor and mop up.

Preparing for a major disaster is not just about you and your family, it is also worth considering who will be there to help you, if you don't help yourself.Emergency Management Otago (EMO) engagement advisor Erica Andrews said it is important for people to take a few minutes to think about how many emergency responders there are in Waitaki.“We've got fantastic men and women who work in Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Police, St John's, Land Search and Rescue . . . There's a whole lot of people who dedicate their time to the community, but if you put all of them in a room in front of the population of Waitaki, very quickly you can see that there's not enough to help everybody.“I'd love to see people just think about that and go, ‘well, okay, what can I do then to help myself and my family’.”The first place to start is to have an understanding of what hazards you could be affected by, Erica said.The Otago Regional Council has a hazards portal, where you can put your address, and see what natural hazards are most likely where you live.Once you know what could happen, then you can start preparing for that, she said.There are a couple of things people can do to do to help themselves, and the first is to create a household preparedness plan.“That covers a whole lot of things including, you know, how do you contact your children's school, or who might be picking your children up, should there be a disaster, and you're not able to get there.“It includes things like the contact numbers for your power and gas. It includes things like, you know, having your emergency supplies available.”Previous advice about having an emergency kit ready has been modified, and now people are encouraged to know where things are at home - but they don’t necessarily need to be contained in one place.It can be challenging for people to have extra food, torches and batteries, or water supplies in the home, Erica said. “So know where your torch is, know where your spare batteries and your transistor radio are, have that water stored definitely - three litres a day per person is a minimum. And plan for seven days.”She encourages people to ask the question of themselves, ‘what would you do…’“What would you do with no power? What would you do with no running water? What would you do with no internet?  “So asking those questions, what would you do? That should help create a plan.”The preference is, in the case of an emergency, people stay in their own homes, if it’s safe to do so, but you should have a grab and go bag ready with necessities, if you do have to leave home in a hurry, she said.“So it might be a medication, it might be something to keep warm, it might be important documents.”And we need to remember to plan for any pets, and consider them among emergency supplies, and also in the grab bag.“And also how will you bring your pets with you . . . and to your place of safety, if you do have to leave your home?”It is also important to create connections with neighbours, and determine if there are people nearby who might be a little bit more vulnerable, and need help, should an emergency arise.“Have a conversation with them. Have they got someone to help them? And if not, is there anything that you could do to maybe help them?”Drinking water can be stored for about 12 months, before it needs to be replaced, but avoid plastic milk bottles, as milk residue can taint the water.Erica recommends the website getready.govt.nz - it contains a lot of information and is translated into about 12 different languages, she said.If there is an earthquake - people are encouraged to remember the catch-phrases for the correct actions: “Drop, cover, hold” and “If it’s long and strong, get gone”. If you are near the coastline, and it is hard to stand up, or the shaking lasts more than a minute, it’s time to move.“You know, we don't have time for official warnings. That is your warning. That's Mother Nature's warning to say, ‘get away from the coastline’.”About one kilometre uphill or inland is what is recommended, and then once in a safe place, listen to the radio and/or watch other media outlets for official information to come out, she said.Staying up to date with what is going on is essential in an emergency, and Emergency Management Otago has a Facebook page and a website, which will be up to date with the latest information, but having a radio is also integral.Flooding is the most likely natural disaster in Ōamaru and its surrounds, but following a rupture of the Alpine Fault, the impact is expected to be seen and felt in the Waitaki Valley.“The alpine fault is due to have a rupture, really within the next 50-odd years,” Erica said. “All the science to date tells us that it's a bit overdue . . , a lot of damage is expected from that, you know, roads will be broken, which impacts a whole lot of things.”A lot of work is going on across Otago by EMO around catastrophic planning, Erica said.“We've got some fantastic lifeline partners - roading, water, a whole lot of people, telcos, power companies that we work with - to start planning how we would manage something like that. But I think we shouldn't be under any illusion, it'll have a generational impact. “Now that's not to scare anybody. I mean, yes, life will be different, but, you know, if you prepare to look after yourself with those things we talked about earlier, then it will make life a little bit easier.”On April 15, EMO will launch a preparedness survey, to help the organisation understand people’s levels of awareness around hazards and how prepared they are.The survey will take five to 10 minutes, there will be a QR code to scan, and links will be on the Waitaki App.There is an opportunity to win one of five family-sized Grab and Go bags. “As time goes by, the more we can understand levels of preparedness and hopefully it will encourage, even one more family, if they see, you know, the poster around or they take an opportunity to click on the link on the app to complete it.“There's no right or wrong in this space. I think it's just about encouraging people just to think about it and take that first step if they haven't already.”

Nenthorn residents spent another night away from their homes last night, after fire forced them out in the early hours of Monday morning.Otago firefighters had last night fully contained both vegetation fires in the Waitaki District, and continued to work to extinguish hotspots.However, residents of three households who self-evacuated from the fire, near Middlemarch, were still unable to return as crews worked near their homes.The 78-hectare fire started around midnight on Sunday and destroyed or damaged farm buildings. In the gale force winds, flames came close to one home, but fire crews were able to save it.Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) incident controller Bobby Lamont said crews with hand tools, supported by excavators and helicopters, were yesterday digging out and extinguishing deep-seated fires under two large stands of trees."One crew will monitor the fire overnight and there’ll be fresh crews arriving in the morning," he said.All Fire and Emergency crews have now left the second fire at Earthquakes near Duntroon on Department of Conservation (Doc) land.The incident controller there, Jason Sarich, said most of this fire was in grass which spread rapidly in Sunday night’s gale force winds."The wind dropped around 7am this morning and crews were able to get on top of it pretty quickly," he said last night.The fire was completely contained and Doc fire crews were working with helicopters to mop up hot spots.The Department of Conservation crews will patrol and monitor the fireground for the next few days.

Two separate rural fires in the Waitaki District are now contained, after firefighters were alerted to them shortly after midnight last night.The first fire is in the Nenthorn Area, about 30km east of Middlemarch, and the second in the Earthquakes area, about 7km from Duntroon.Work to consolidate the perimeters and extinguish hotspots is now underway, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) incident controller Bobby Lamont said.At Nenthorn a small number of farm buildings have been destroyed or damaged, and 78 hectares of farmland burnt, an aerial reconnaissance this morning revealed.  Three households self-evacuated last night, and residents were not yet able to return, as crews were still working near their homes. Nenthorne, Ramrock and Butter and Egg roads had all been closed.The Middlemarch crew, which was first on the scene at Nenthorn, did "an amazing job" to protect a house from the flames. Crews from six other volunteer brigades also responded, as well as the command unit from Dunedin, Bobby saidThree tankers and five additional crews of firefighters, supported by three helicopters, continue to work Nenthorn this morning.A fire investigator will be examining the area where the fire started to establish the cause, and two other fires were started by embers blown by the wind from the original blaze, Bobby said.Incident Controller at that fire, Jason Sarich, said firefighters had worked very hard in challenging condition to contain the fire, with galeforce winds on the fireground overnight.Meanwhile, the Earthquakes fire has burnt about 30 hectares of conservation land, and another 30 firefighters and two helicopters were working in the area this morning.They would be joined by two crews of firefighters from the Department of Conservation later today. A Fenz command unit from Timaru is also at the scene.Smoke from the Earthquakes fire was noticeable from Ōamaru and prompted several 111 calls earlier this morning. Advice from Fenz is if somebody sees or smells smoke and is concerned, to always call 111 so trained dispatchers in our communications centre can assess whether there is a new fire.Fire and Emergency crew on the ground.

By Niki BezzantAs International Women's Day rolls around again, women can sit back, relax and reflect on all the amazing progress that's been made in the past year.Kidding!Last year I wrote a piece on why we still need International Women's Day. Sadly, these reasons all still apply. We're still behind (or going backwards) in the gender pay gap; representation in the nation's boardrooms; the orgasm gap and access to equitable healthcare.To put a positive spin on it, we can also reflect on this year's IWD theme - 'Inspire Inclusion' - and know we have, at least, come a relatively long way.In the past, women were excluded from many spheres and activities we now take for granted. To choose a random few examples: voting, attending university, working outside the home, owning or inheriting property, wearing trousers and leaving the house alone are all things that were once either widely unacceptable or illegal. (Pop quiz: can you name a country for each of those activities where these things are still illegal for women?*)Here are some other ways women have been excluded in history - and a look at how far (or not) we've come.Banking and mortgagesWe may laugh now at the quaint idea of The Ladies' Bank (opened in 1958 by the BNZ and widely mocked at the time). But it's worth remembering: it's only within my lifetime that women have been able to take out mortgages or even open bank accounts in their own right.As recently as the 1980s in Aotearoa, single women wanting to buy property were either refused mortgages or only given mortgages when a male relative guaranteed the loan.A 1958 newspaper advertisement for BNZ's foray into 'Ladies' Banking Services'. Photo: BNZ ArchiveWe might think things are better now - and they mostly are - but that might not be the case for all women on their own.Ange Meyer, co-founder of Hi Money - a business aimed at transforming how women think and feel about money - says she's talked to women recently who have been advised by mortgage brokers that the best way to get a mortgage would be to find a partner."I would be extraordinarily surprised if single men were being told this," she says.Meyer says the brokers may have intended this as a helpful problem-solving hack."There is this constant bloody perception that women are really good at spending and really useless at saving. And that kind of misogyny is so insidious."It also speaks to the fact that we have this utterly ridiculous economic system here that makes it so difficult for women to participate and to grow our wealth and to have financial freedom and wellbeing."We've got a gender pay gap so we earn less. And then if you take time out of the workforce for your caring responsibilities, because of the way money works… you don't have the ability to save as much money and get the benefit of compounding interest."Perhaps that's partly why research from the Financial Services Council found that 80 percent of New Zealand women rated their financial wellbeing as low or very low.Retirement savingsWomen retire with far less money saved than men."We've got a 25 percent gender gap in retirement that's gone up five percent in the last year", says Meyer, "which is outrageous."Ange Meyer, co-founder of Hi Money: "We have this utterly ridiculous economic system here that makes it so difficult for women to participate." Photo: Ange MeyerIt makes for an insecure time in retirement. Around one in four Kiwis now reaches retirement age without owning the home they live in; women still have lower home ownership rates than men, plus they tend to live longer than men (by about four years) and will live longer without their partners, meaning older women are more vulnerable to poverty.Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson says the retirement savings gap "speaks volumes about the systemic challenges women face, from wage inequality to career breaks for caregiving".The Retirement Commission notes the solutions are multi-faceted, and include government policies aimed at stamping out the gender pay gap; keeping the age of eligibility to New Zealand Super at 65, and retirement savings plans and Kiwisaver concessions that account for the career breaks and part-time work more often undertaken by women.StatuesStatues and monuments have been the subject of controversy around the world in recent years, with particularly problematic people sometimes being removed from their pedestals.Figurehead of the New Zealand suffrage for women movement, Kate Sheppard. Photo: Archives New ZealandLocally, there have been calls for public statues of colonial military leaders, politicians and royals to be moved or removed due to their less-than-glorious deeds.There haven't been many calls to even up the statue gender gap, though. Of the 123 outdoor statues of named people in public settings featured in a study by Otago University in 2020, just 16 (13 percent) were of women.Only one was of a Māori woman.George Grey, Edmund Hillary and Peter Snell have multiple statues; suffrage trailblazer Kate Sheppard has just one, which isn't even a statue at all - she's featured on a panel with five other women at our nation's only monument dedicated to the fight for women's suffrage, in Christchurch.Singer Dua Lipa poses on the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala, showing off a dress with pockets. Photo: ANGELA WEISSPocketsYou might think pockets are a trivial thing, but they're a fascinating marker of inequality. In her book Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close, fashion historian Hannah Carlson says this aspect of clothing is "a proxy battle of the sexes that has continued to simmer for over two centuries".Since pockets were first put into clothes, there's been debate over whether women should be allowed or even needed to have them. In the early 1900s, a dearth of pockets was termed one of the "unrecognised disabilities of women".Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close by Hannah Carlson. Photo: HachetteThings have not changed very much. These days, clothing manufacturers have done the deciding for us: women's pockets are routinely smaller, non-functional or absent, where men's are useful and abundant.A survey in 2018 found - after measuring pockets in 80 pairs of jeans - that women's pockets were 48 percent shorter and 6.5 percent narrower than men's, and more than half of women's pockets could not hold a wallet, cellphone or pen.I can't help but think of the way money and pockets are frequently paired in common parlance. Perhaps if we had pocket equity, the money stuff would follow?*Pop quiz answersVoting: Women can vote almost everywhere, except Eritrea where there haven't been elections since its independence in 1993, and Vatican City where there is no voting, except for the Pope.University: Women are not allowed secondary or tertiary education in Afghanistan.Property ownership: In more than 30 countries, women and girls still do not have the same rights to own and inherit land as men and boys.Trousers: Until 2013 it was technically illegal for women in France to wear trousers. Now, trousers for women are reportedly banned in North Korea, though it's said the law is not often enforced. Ten women were arrested in 2023 for wearing shorts, though. Sudan repealed its law against women wearing trousers in 2019.Other: Afghanistan also forbids women to work outside the home in most cases, and to leave the house except when absolutely necessary. Then, it's only with a male chaperone.*Niki Bezzant is a writer, speaker, journalist and author focusing on health, wellbeing and science.

Three Duntroon School pupils are further proof that girls can do anything, after they were crowned 2024 Aorangi AgriKidsNZ champions.The Milking Manics, Olivia Strachan (Year 7), Leah Wilson (Year 7) and Greer Neal (Year 8), finished top of the 34 teams who entered the competition, Duntroon School principal Mike Turner said.Duntroon entered three teams aged between years 6 and 8, and it was the first time it had teams in the competition, held in Kurow in mid-February as part of Aorangi Young Farmer of the Year.The Milking Manics are now eligible to compete in the national finals, being held in Hamilton in July, alongside the Young Farmer of the Year finals.Mike said the teams were given a "tips and tricks sheet" of things they might be asked to do, prior to the event.They didn’t really have a chance for any preparation during school time, except for having a go at using the leaf blower, he said. But the leaf blowing practice turned out to pay dividends - with the event part of the lineup of challenges, which also included an obstacle course, putting a wooden gate together, fire risk identification, native plant identification, and a feeding ratio task, among other things.“After all the round robin competition there was a race off, which they actually came first in,” Mike said. “This was the final and, with the points from the earlier rounds added to the score, made them the winners.”The girls now have a new challenge facing them - raising funds to get to Hamilton. They are responsible for paying their own way, and have a few ideas, but are also looking for sponsorship from local businesses.“If any North Otago agri-businesses are keen to support these girls with this amazing opportunity, please get in touch,” Mike said.